Garment-supporter.



PATENTED 00T. 1.8, '1904.

v170. 772,777. l L

J P. W. BICKPORD.

GARMENT SUPPORTER.`

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

ff f www1-,

AttQrney application and operation of thedevice.

ployed to form a means of vconnection between UNITED STATES PatentedOctober 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GARMENT-sUPPom-ER.

. SPECIFICATION-forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,777, datedOctober 18, 1904.

' Application flied Juiy 26,1902.'

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK-W. Biori- FORD, of Rochester, in thecounty of Monroe 'and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Garment- Supporters; .and I do hereby declare thefollowing tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingv a part ofthis specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon. j l

My present invention has for its object' to provide a garment-supporteradapted particularly for supporting dress skirts and which may be wornabout thel waist and emthe skirt and dress-waist to hold both portionsof the dress in position without interfering with the movement of thebody of the wearer.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvementsin construction and combinations of parts, all as will be more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims atV theendV of -this specification.

In the drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of a garment-supporterconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlargedcross-sectional view. Fig.' 3 is aA view showing a band or tape uponwhich one or more of the devices may be applied, and Fig. 4 is aperspective view illustrating Athe Similar reference-numerals in theseveral figures indicate similar parts.

A garment-supporter constructed in accordance with my invention isadapted to be secured about the wearers waist and upon the exterior ofthe dress-waist, and it consists, preferably, of a plate l, of lightspring metal, provided with a central aperture 2, bounded at the upperside by a band 3, the lower edge of Vwhich is notched or serrated,forming teeth 4 thereon, and this edge of the band is struck up or benttoward the inner side or that side of the device which lies next to thewearers body, as shown in Fig. 3. On the lower side the aperture isbounded by a similar but wider band 5, formed with a serial No. 117,076.No moda.)

manner that small tongues 9 may be bent inwardly sufliciently to allowthe passage of a band or tape 10 therethrough. While the material may beentirely removed to provide the apertures 8, I find-it preferable toform them as shown, as the tongues 9, being bent more or less at anangle to the face of the plate, form ribs thereon, materiallystrengthening the device and prevent its bending transversely, as mightbe occasioned by ex- .cessive strain upon the bands 3 and 5, and

the tongues may also be bent downwardly to lie more nearly in the planeof the plate l if it is desired to create more or less friction upon theband or tape and prevent the movement of the garment-holder thereonwhether in operation or otherwise.

In operation a plurality of supporters may be usedon the band or tape tosecure the skirt and dress-waist at different points, and

p when in position the support is larranged with thei narrower. band 3,with the teeth 4 thereon, projecting inwardly. 'The narrower band 3being at the top permits the plate to bend slightly longitudinally toconform to the curvature of the waist,while acorresponding curvature isalso permitted the bar, owing to the extended portions at the ends,containing the apertures 8, which are separated a slight distancefrom'the ends of the tongue 6, so that while the band upon which thelatter is formed may bend slightly the tongue 6 projects outwardly, sothat as the device conforms to the waist the teeth 7 are not fiattened,but project outwardly to permit the skirt-band to be vengaged morereadily therewith, as will be understood. This is an advantageousfeature in that the band or tape l0 may be first applied with theprojections 4 engaging the dress-waist and then tightened, whichoperation will tend to iiatten the teeth 4, so that lthe inner face ofthe device IOO lies more or less smoothly in contact with the garment,but in secure engagement therewith.

The garment-supporter which I have shown and described may be easilyformed from a sheet of light spring metal by the single operation of astamp or die, and the devices being small a plurality of them may beemployed, if desired. The particular arrangement and constructionI havedescribed is advantageous in that I am enabled to provide a number ofcomparatively tine teeth which enter the goods and firmly engagetherewith Without liability of straining or tearing the fabric.

I claim as my inventionl. A. garment-support embodying a plate providedWith an aperture bounded at one side by anal-row band having projectionsupon its inner edge and extending at one side of the plate and having asimilar band at the opposite side of the aperture provided with a tongueextending toward the first-mentioned band, and having projectionsthereon extending at the opposite side of the plate.

2. A garment-support embodying a plate provided With a central apertureforming bands at opposite edges of the plate one of which is providedwith teeth or projections and the other with an inwardly-extendingtongue having similar teeth thereon said tongue and the proximate edgeof the other band being' bent to project their teeth in oppositedirections and lips severed at one edge transversely of the plate at itsends and bent to one side of the plate forming apertures therein.

FREDERlCK iV. BICKFORD.

litnessesr Y Gr. W ILLARD RICH, HENRY XV. HALL.

